Here at the New to Nonstop (N2NS) Committee, we’re proud to announce our new, ongoing column right here in the Connection. For our first article, we’d like to share who we are, highlight our achievements since relaunching last year, and share our vision and plans for 2026.
Our committee is a dedicated team committed to supporting newcomers across the Nonstop ecosystem. Leading the way is Paden Holenstein, Gravic Product Manager and our strategic co-ordinator. Shauna Evans, UKI Nonstop Sales Specialist Lead, has been instrumental since the inception of the Committee and manages our Social Media presence. Vedant “Vito” Shrivastava, Idelji’s Product Manager and Business Development Lead, heads up our mentorship programme. Kevin Gibson, a Sales Associate at Xypro Technology, is our newest member, and oversees the rotary sessions. Last but not least, I’m Charlie Higgins, UKI Nonstop Sales Specialist, and I am responsible for all things outreach and promotion.
When asked about the committee’s importance, Paden shared:
“Our role as the committee is to help new members smoothly transition into the Nonstop community by offering guidance, support, and connection.
We want to foster a welcoming environment where newcomers can become informed grow confidence in contributing to Nonstop’s mission and culture.
By helping fostering engagement, the committee also helps grow the community, Nonstop talent, and strengthen Nonstop’s long-term talent pipeline.”
Our user group has been created to support the growth and development of those new to Nonstop, across our whole ecosystem including partners and customers. We are focused on empowering the next generation of talent to give them easy access to resources, mentorship and community they need to thrive in a career in Nonstop. We recognize that finding the right resources, building a network of mentors and generally navigating the corporate world can be difficult. New to Nonstop has been designed to help new members navigate the early stages of their career in Nonstop and build a community of peers to support one another.
The New to Nonstop Committee is a rebranding of the ‘Nonstop Under 40s’ group, and we’re proud to continue the legacy of Daniel Craig, Vanessa Kaupp, Steve Tcherchian, Jeroen Wallaard, and Navid Khodayari. At our recent TBC session, Vanessa, Steve, and Navid joined us to share their career journeys and emphasize the importance of both knowledge sharing and community building.
In addition to our TBC session, we hosted a fantastic networking evening at Kirby’s Icehouse. A couple of friendly (read: competitive) games of cornhole really opened up and jumpstarted conversations. A special thank you to all our sponsors for making this possible, and to all of those who attended. It was a great way to reconnect with familiar faces and connect with new people.
In the last year, we’ve really focused on rebuilding the newcomer community through our LinkedIn page (which you can check out here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13179042/). This space is a great way for our members to engage, share insights and stay connected, as well as hear about upcoming events and industry news.
On the topic of webinars, we kicked off our first rotary session on November 4th, and it was a massive success. We were joined by Phil Ly, CEO and President of TIC Software, who shared great insights into his career. Don’t worry if you missed out on this one, you can request the recording at new2nonstop@gmail.com. Keep an eye out on our LinkedIn for information on our next webinar will be.
Behind the scenes, we’ve been piloting a mentorship scheme with the help of Karen Chappel (Raymond James) and Leon Arens (First National Bank of Omaha) and are pleased to announce that we are accepting more signups. If you would like to become a mentor or mentee, feel free to register your interest at: https://forms.gle/QgkpswtEaQGuvH1U6. Our mentor matching program aims to connect early career talent with experienced Nonstop users across HPE, customers and vendors. The goal is for those with experience to provide 1:1 support, to offer guidance and insights to navigate challenges that may arise in their roles.
We’re also developing a new, enhanced website to replace our current GitHub site, which we hope to launch in the new year. The website will serve as a comprehensive resource hub, offering articles, videos, and webinar recordings. Our goal is to make it easy for newcomers to find answers to their questions and access valuable learning materials as they embark on their Nonstop journey.
We’re looking forward to an exciting year ahead and are eager to grow and learn alongside all of you. Watch for more updates in the next issue of Connection, and don’t forget to join our LinkedIn group to stay up to date with our latest news and events!
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